Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty Is Associated With Significantly Higher Opioid Consumption as Compared With Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty in the Acute Postoperative Period.

Background: There is a scarcity of studies investigating narcotic use after revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We compared immediate postsurgical narcotic consumption after revision TKA and primary TKA.

Methods: A single-institution database was used to identify patients who underwent revision TKA or primary TKA between 2016 and 2019. Morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) were calculated to discern narcotic usage, and pain visual analog score was also used.

Results: A total of 7342 cases were identified: 88.65% primary TKA and 11.35% revision TKA. Opioid consumption for the first 24 hours postoperatively was significantly higher for the revision TKA group (133.1 MMEs vs 56.14 MMEs, < .0001), as well as for the 24- to 48-hour time period. The visual analog pain scores were also higher for the revision TKA group.

Conclusion: The revision TKA group had a higher opioid requirement, most significant during the first 24 hours postoperatively, and expressed more pain in the acute postoperative period.